Legal Firestorm: Sony Demands Halt to Tencent’s Alleged Horizon Clone, Citing ‘Irreparable Harm’

The high-stakes legal battle between gaming giants Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and Tencent has escalated dramatically. SIE has formally filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against Tencent, seeking to immediately block the promotion and development of the upcoming open-world survival game, Light of Motiram. Sony claims the title is a “slavish clone” of its highly successful Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West franchise, arguing that continued promotional activity is causing “irreparable harm” to its intellectual property and the iconic Aloy character mark.

This aggressive legal maneuver follows a lawsuit filed by SIE in July 2025, where the company accused Tencent and its affiliate Polaris Quest of copyright and trademark infringement. The core of Sony’s argument is that Light of Motiram copies numerous protected elements of the Horizon games, from the aesthetics of a red-haired tribal huntress protagonist to the concept of battling massive, animalistic machines in a post-apocalyptic world. SIE contends that this is not merely borrowing “well-trodden tropes,” as Tencent suggests, but a deliberate and pervasive act of copying designed to trade off the established goodwill of the Horizon brand.

Key Battlefield: The Preliminary Injunction and IP Protection

A preliminary injunction is a significant legal step, demanding that a court issue an immediate order to prevent ongoing harm while the main lawsuit proceeds. Sony’s filing, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, specifically requests the court to:

• Bar the Use of Key Character Elements: This includes the removal of the “fierce tribal warrior huntress characterized by fiery red hair” that Sony argues is confusingly similar to Aloy.
• Halt Promotion and Distribution: SIE seeks to stop Tencent from “reproducing, preparing derivative works of, displaying, performing, and distributing any works copied or derived from SIE’s Horizon Works, including Light of Motiram.”
• Prevent Music and Visual Similarities: The injunction also targets a melody in the game’s promotional materials, which Sony alleges is too close to compositions from the Horizon Zero Dawn original soundtrack.

Sony’s urgency is underscored by declarations from top executives, including the Head of PlayStation Productions, who emphasized the commercial risk to the Horizon franchise, including its planned expansion into film. Court documents filed in support of the injunction revealed that the highly anticipated Horizon Zero Dawn film adaptation is progressing, with a working script in place and filming expected to begin in 2026, targeting a 2027 premiere (Source: DualShockers, October 17, 2025). The company fears that the release or continued promotion of a widely perceived ‘knock-off’ could cause mass consumer confusion and dilute the market value of its flagship IP.

Tencent’s Defense: Trope Argument and Release Date Delay

In response to the initial lawsuit and in opposition to the injunction, Tencent has maintained a defiant stance. The Chinese tech conglomerate previously filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, branding Sony’s claims as “nonsense” and an “improper attempt to fence off a well-trodden corner of popular culture.” They argue that elements like a post-apocalyptic setting and a female lead fighting large creatures are genre conventions, not unique protected IP.

Furthermore, Tencent highlights the delayed release of Light of Motiram—pushed from late 2025 to Q4 2027—as evidence that Sony cannot demonstrate the “immediate threatened injury” required for a preliminary injunction. Following the initial lawsuit, Tencent also quietly scrubbed a number of controversial screenshots and promotional images that most closely resembled the Horizon games from the game’s Steam page, a move Sony interprets not as a sign of innocence, but a tacit admission of guilt, stating, “the damage is done – and it continues.”

Analysis: The Potential Impact on Game Development

The outcome of this injunction, expected to be decided following a hearing in late 2025, holds enormous implications not just for the two involved companies, but for the entire video game industry regarding intellectual property and copyright law in the digital age. This case forces a challenging legal examination of where inspiration ends and infringement begins, especially in genres where certain aesthetic and narrative elements are common.

If the injunction is granted, Tencent would be forced to redesign and potentially redevelop major aspects of Light of Motiram, effectively halting the current project. Conversely, if the injunction is denied, the precedent could embolden other developers globally to pursue titles with close thematic and visual ties to established, high-revenue franchises, potentially leading to a fragmentation of game development across similar visual styles. Given the global nature of this high-profile copyright infringement lawsuit, the ruling will be closely watched by legal experts and investors concerned with the gaming market and international IP law (High CPC Keywords: international IP law, gaming market, copyright infringement lawsuit).

Regardless of the final outcome, the sheer financial commitment to this legal battle, and the public scrutiny it has brought, reinforces the immense value Sony places on the Horizon franchise as a cornerstone of the PlayStation brand and its long-term future in the fiercely competitive gaming industry. The world awaits the court’s decision on whether Light of Motiram will be allowed to see the light of day in its current form.